Perkins + Will was founded in Chicago in 1935 by Lawrence Perkins and Philip Will, Jr., on the belief that design has the power to transform lives and enhance society. Under the leadership of Mr. Perkins and Philip Will, the firm Perkins & Will grew from a two-man operation that designed houses on Chicago's North Shore to one of the largest architectural firms in the country, with commissions including hospitals, office buildings, and airports.

Lawrence B. Perkins and Philip Will, Jr. created some of the world’s most innovative buildings while sharing their research and knowledge with the industry.  They rank among the world’s top design firms and have received many awards including the prestigious American Institute of Architects “Firm of the Year Award” and they were the first architectural firm to be awarded the National Building Museum Honor Award for Civic Innovation. 

Notable buildings include:  Boeing International Headquarters, Chicago, IL; Chase Tower, Chicago, IL; Concordia International School Shanghai, Shanghai, China; Lake Forest College, buildings in Middle and South Campus, Lake Forest, IL; and Duke University Fuqua School of Business, Durham, NC, among many others.
Perkins + Will have more LEEDS Accredited Professionals than any design firm in North America and they are recognized as one of the preeminent sustainable design firms in the country.  Significant LEED projects at Perkins + Will include: Dockside Green in Victoria, BC; Great River Energy in Maple Grove, MN; Discovery Health Center; Arlington Free Clinic; Rushmore University Medical Center, Orthopedic Ambulatory Building; and the first LEED Certified Target Retail Store.

 

 

Lawrence Bradford Perkins (b. 1907 – d. 1997)

Lawrence B. Perkins was born in 1907 in Evanston, Illinois, the son of noted Prairie School architect Dwight H. Perkins (1867-1941). In 1930 Lawrence received his bachelor's degree in architecture from Cornell University, where he met Philip Will, the man who was to become his partner. In 1935 they opened a practice in Chicago and were soon joined by E. Todd Wheeler, renaming the firm Perkins, Wheeler and Will. The young firm first gained national attention when it associated with Eliel and Eero Saarinen on the design of the Crow Island School in Winnetka, Illinois (1939-40). Perkins, Wheeler, and Will soon established a national reputation as respected school specialists. Perkins retired from the firm in 1972 but by 1974 he had embarked on a new career as an adjunct professor at the University of Illinois at Chicago. Perkins was elected to the College of Fellows of the American Institute of Architects in 1953. He died in Evanston in 1997.

 

 

Philip Will, Jr. (b. 1906 – d. 1985)

Philip Will, Jr., was co-founder of Perkins + Will.  He graduated with an Architecture degree from Cornell University in 1928.  While at Cornell, he met Lawrence Perkins and they later founded Perkins +Will in 1935.  Will became the leading school architect in the United States and the designer of such prominent Chicago structures as the U.S. Gypsum Co. Building, the Standard Oil Building and, with C.F. Murphy Associates, the First National Bank of Chicago Building.

 

Under Will’s leadership, Perkins + Will won 26 national awards including the American Institute of Architects Twenty-five Year Award for a design of enduring significance.  Will served two terms as President of the American Institute of Architects and also served as a Cornell Trustee from 1963 to 1973 and as Chairman of its Buildings and Properties Committee.  After 1973, Will continued to serve as a Trustee emeritus.